Why I Live at The Blanket Fort
A November at Raconteur Press by Editor Lisa
I’ve been asked by She Who Makes Us Wear Pants, our amazing production manager Jonna Hayden, to do a write-up of Raconteur Press’s attendance of the Author Nation conference in Las Vegas (Nov. 10-15). But I’d like to pull back and recall what an amazing entire month November 2024 was at Raconteur Press headquarters.
I’m Lisa, Rac Press’s crankiest copy editor. Sarah Clithero’s fiercer, but she’s head copy editor, so that makes me the crankiest of my rank. Ba-dum-pah!
For the last couple of months, I’ve been doing my remote work regularly at Jonna’s magical shop (officially “Tatters and Ravelings,” unofficially “The Blanket Fort”), home of Raconteur Press. There, I get to enjoy her company, play with her Italian brocades, drink tea and coffee, and watch Ian snarl at the computer. Jim Curtis and Sanford and Cedar Sanderson pop in on livestream days.
Our November started with a bang because (nearly) all of us were together in one place! Mike (Spearman) Burke drove in from Missouri before October even ended, and Tully Roberts and Ben Yalow stayed the weekend, braving near-flooded roads on departure. Lovely Rita came in frequently, sewing and later wearing her Hallowe’en dress. With the dread of the coming election, it felt amazing to hunker down with these people and get to work, laughing heartily much of each day. Although I had to copy edit “Space Cowboys: Fission Chips,” Jonna, Mike and I ended up working like dogs on getting a Loomly account set up for the coming year. If you don’t know what’s ahead, check out our submission calls and guidelines to see what you could submit in 2025!
Between Loomly, organizing our now-growing inventory, shooting with the boys, project planning with Ben, and somewhere in there watching Mike’s Monty Python reenactment videos, I found myself taking mental pictures of these wonderful moments, thanking God that I get to work with these amazing, nutty people whom I also get to call friends.
Friends departed and the Cowboys remained. Jonna was sewing again. The election was over and everyone was breathing again (whooping or wailing, depending on where you live). I steadily began moving or deleting commas again as the following quiet days ensued, and looked forward to not scrambling this time to make a deadline.
So naturally, Ian then asked me if I would go to the Author Nation conference with Jonna and Nick Nethery.
The day after, John Van Stry came and turned in his finished novel to Ian during the livestream. This will be Raconteur Press’s first novel to publish ever.
Once the cameras shut off, Ian and Cedar booked my plane ticket for Las Vegas.
That was Thursday. I had two days to get my whiffle ducks into a row.
Stay tuned for the continuing adventures of Lisa: Rac Press Editor at Large!
Now I don't know who to fear more...the crankiest or fiercest copy editor. Particularly since Shaifennen Roehe thinks there's no point in having a language and grammar if you can't hold them down and tickle them. :)
Double shot .... armatures, When I worked at SB's I averaged 8 quads a day. My favourite drink is a quad expresso with 16 extra shots, a Venti cup of pure espresso. I only treat myself to it a few times a year. But mmmmm so nice.